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Saturday, November 18, 2017

Star Wars Saturday: The State of Fandom

It seems like every day there are more and more people who are joining the Star Wars fandom. Some join with mild interest and others dive headfirst into everything on which they can put their hands.

There are so many entry points for Star Wars fans, too. People don't just have to join up because they've watched the movies. They can join because of television, comics, books, video games, theme parks, and even music!

Star Wars didn't always enjoy this massive size. Thirty years ago after Return of the Jedi had made its way into theaters, there was nothing else. There was a comic for a while, but the most ardent Star Wars fan had a hard time keeping the dream alive.

That certainly isn't the case anymore! While this is a lovely problem to have, it also has turned into a bit of a problem. Longtime fans of Star Wars have gotten upset at some of the new entries into Star Wars canon because they don't like it. They take their displeasure onto social media and rant and rave about how Star Wars is being "ruined" by the people at Lucasfilm, or a certain writer, or a certain group.

I think the state of Star Wars fandom is that it is in a large amount of flux. Star Wars is looking to reach every single person they can, from children to grandparents and women to men and diversity of all kinds. Many people embrace this inclusiveness, but others declare that it isn't "their Star Wars." And instead of just disliking it on their own, they attack those that manufacture it, or - even worse - attack the people who actually like it.

This negativity, thankfully, has spawned a strong rebuttal. People have spoken up in defense of those new Star Wars releases, like Forces of Destiny. They have embraced Star Wars and have come up with two incredibly important points:

1. Star Wars is for everyone, and

2. you don't have to like everything in Star Wars!

People are different. We all have different likes and dislikes. Because Star Wars wants to cater to everyone, it will pump out content for everyone. And people just won't like stuff. I tried for four seasons to like Star Wars Rebels but just couldn't. Some of the Star Wars comics were strange.

This issue is making a point to criticize fans of that stuff. I can state my reasons, but if I were to take a tweet that states "I ship Kanan and Hera so much" and say "You're such an idiot for liking that show," that is a problem. And that's what some people do (and worse).

The easy thing to do is respect what people like and don't like. If you don't like it, that's fine. Like I said, you don't have to like everything in Star Wars! Just promote what you like and let others promote what they like.

Let's face it: if Star Wars fans keep complaining about stuff that Star Wars does - are you really a Star Wars fan?

My name is Claire Nat! You can follow me on Twitter @CeePipes, or follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/blurbmusings. Check out my blog for other articles!